Statement on Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental Health Awareness Month has ended, but mental health is important to address all year round! We are living in a time where people are experiencing daily stress, anxieties, underlying worries, or generally not feeling like themselves. Talking about mental health can help normalize it and stop the ongoing stigma against mental health and illness. Mind the Gap Initiative’s main focus is to promote and educate on the importance of mental health, so we take pride in raising awareness on a national scale.
There has been an up-trend in prevalence of mental health health conditions in adolescents and teens in the United States (Mental Health America Inc., 2021). This is now even further exacerbated by social and global conditions such as COVID-19 and political climates. Aside from adolescents, everyone can be negatively affected by stressful environments to varying degrees, leading to emotions that are difficult to acknowledge, navigate, or talk about. We believe that this difficulty arises from the stigma against feeling “less than ok” at any given moment. Society puts a lot of pressure on people to be optimally productive and outwardly happy, though it is unrealistic that we can be this way 24/7. This leads to millions of people inwardly struggling with something that could quite easily be addressed if they felt safe enough not to be judged by family, friends, or employers.
Luckily, support can come from many places. Try opening up to one person you trust the most – you will be surprised at how much they will resonate with you or express how they have felt that way at some point. If you feel like you might not have that kind of understanding in the people around you, there are SO many resources, people, volunteers, and professionals who would love to talk to you.
It is difficult to learn how to cope with negative feelings that linger around, especially with depression, anxiety, stress, and other conditions. These feelings are part of the human condition, and ignoring them for the fear of judgement (or ignoring them simply because you think they will go away!) should be a thing of the past. We have all gone to doctors and dentists for even the slightest concerns about our health. In the same way, it should be just as easy and normal to go to a psychologist, therapist, or social worker to address even the slightest concerns about your mental health. After all, your brain is arguably the most powerful organ in your body. Keeping your psyche healthy will reward you hundreds of times over. You will be surprised with how good it makes your physical body feel (yes really!) and how fulfilled and successful your life becomes.
At Mind the Gap Initiative, we recognize that people are facing mental health challenges on a daily basis and might not be aware of the damages it might incur if left alone. We strongly believe that bringing mental health education to the forefront of our knowledge and increasing access to mental health resources will improve the lives of millions of people. Because after all, knowledge is power. For questions or more information, please contact admin@mindthegapinitiative.org. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact 1-800-273-8255.